Monoclonal antibody specific to nitrifying bacteria and method for detection thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a monoclonal antibody showing a high specificity to Nitrosomonas europaea or Nitrobacter agilis, and a monoclonal antibody-sensitized latex for detecting Nitrosomonas europaea or Nitrobacter agilis used for facilitating the detection of nitrifying bacteria present in activated sludge, water, soil or microorganism-immobilized carriers, and besides a method of detecting nitrifying bacteria using said monoclonal antibody-sensitized latex. The present invention provides a monoclonal antibody to nitrifying bacteria having ammonia oxidation activities or nitrite oxidation activities present in activated sludge or soil, or microorganism-immobilized carriers. This monoclonal antibody to Nitrosomonas europaea or Nitrobacter agilis is prepared by culturing clones of fused cells (hybridomas) obtained by fusing antibody-forming cells and tumor cells obtained from an animal immunized with Nitrosomonas europaea or Nitrobacter agilis.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An anti-Nitrosomonas europaea monoclonal antibody recognizing Nitrosomonas europaea specifically wherein said monoclonal antibody is selected from the group consisting of monoclonal antibody Nem 7 α produced by hybridoma cell line FERM BP-5675 and monoclonal antibody Nem 23 α produced by hybridoma cell line FERM BP-5676. 
     
     
       2. An antibody-sensitized latex for Nitrosomonas europaea comprising a monoclonal antibody specific to Nitrosomonas europaea of claim 1 adsorbed on latex particles. 
     
     
       3. An antibody-sensitized latex for Nitrosomonas europaea, wherein the latex particles according to claim 2 are latex particles with a high specific gravity of about 1.5 g/cc. 
     
     
       4. An antibody-sensitized latex for Nitrosomonas europaea according to claim 3 wherein said latex particles are latex particles with an average particle diameter of about 1.0 μm. 
     
     
       5. A continuous cell line which produces a monoclonal antibody to Nitrosomonas europaea, wherein said monoclonal antibody binds to the antigenic determinant recognized by monoclonal antibody Nem 7 μ produced by hybridoma cell line FERM BP-5675, deposited at the National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology. 
     
     
       6. A continuous cell line which produces a monoclonal antibody to Nitrosomonas europaea, wherein said antibody binds to the antigenic determinant recognized by monoclonal antibody Nem 23 α produced by hybridoma cell line FERM BP-5676, deposited at the National Institute of Biosciences and Human-Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology. 
     
     
       7. A method for detection and the quantitative analysis of nitrifying bacteria, comprising contacting a sample with a monoclonal antibody-sensitized latex specific for Nitrosomonas europaea according to claim 2 or claim 3 and a monoclonal antibody-sensitized latex specific for Nitrobacter agilis under conditions that allow binding to occur and detecting the presence and amount of binding between said monoclonal antibody-sensitized latex specific for Nitrosomonas europaea and said monoclonal antibody sensitized latex specific for Nitrobacter agilis and nitrifying bacteria.